Waipu Caves Farm Park
Run & Walk Series
A series of several run walk events at Waipu Caves Farm Park, a 320 acre private conservation & recreation park.
The terrain varies across, farm road, forest trails, grass paddocks, up hills, along valley flats and some across rivers and through muddy ponds.
Each event has a different mix of terrain to best suit the theme. Some are fun events, some are race events, some are mud-runs.
Co-ordinating events is nothing new to us, but this is the first season of doing the run walk and mudrun events. We will have some learning along the way and so we are starting with just 300 participants. The plan is that we will have these events each month from May to October each year. We already run Cave Concerts from October to April and school and youth camps.
School Cross Country - we will also be offering these run walk events to schools on the Friday before the weekend events. Please contact us about this.
NEXT EVENT DATES. click date to jump down the page.
PAST EVENT DATES. click date to jump down the page.
July 25th, Saturday - Mudmania
This is a short (about 1.5km) course purpose built for the Mudmania Fun Run & Walk.
There are obstacles including mud ponds, water ponds, slippery slopes, log obstacles,
nets, commando crawls and more.
This course is designed for spectators and participants, so family and friends can watch closely. All spectators must buy a spectator ticket.
The course is lapped to suit your own challenge.
Children age 5-12 must be participating with a parent/adult and do only 1 lap.
Teens and adults can do as many laps as you like.
Tickets - limited to 300 athletes.
Same price no matter how many laps you do.
Adults 20 years up: $20
Teenage 13 -19 years: $15
Children age 5 -12 years: $10
Spectators age over 5 years: $5
Itinerary
9:00am - 9:30am Arrive and park from 9am. There will be parking attendants to direct you where to park.
9:30am - 10:15am Registration and sign in. All participants to sign waiver and make way to starting point.
10:15am Event Briefing at the start point.
10:30am Start for children (with their parent/adult).
10:45am Start for teens 13-17.
11:00am Start for adults and older teens 18 -19. Released in small groups, each minute to avoid congestion at obstacles and in water or mud ponds.
12:00 noon onwards Have some lunch from the food stalls or at the office for ice-creams.
12:45pm Spot prizes.
1:30pm winding up, but you can stay longer if you wish, maybe have a cave tour (limited spots, book these online on our glowworm page).
The 14 tonne digger has been flat out all week (15th - 19th) building the course. there is 6 pond to cross. Slopes, tunnels. And a new road for the food trucks.
MORE INFO TO COME
The below images, show the approx course layout in a quick digital sketch. a drone shot before obstacles being built, and some of the staff building a spectator bridge which participants run under.
This section edited by Ian Fox 5pm Tuesday 7th July 2026.
We are rapidly building the structures for the mud run on 25th July.
The ponds and most earthworks were done in May.
Last week the hardest structure to build, the spectator bridge 7.2m long, 1.6m wide, with obstacles hanging down underneath for mud monster participants to run under.
We started the hanging car tyre obstacle 8m long, 4m wide, 3m high of hanging tyres to push through.
This week the dive through tunnels, which spectators walk over.
Still to install with our staff is:
logs to go over some of the ponds.
slides 12m long into a pond.
cargo nets, curtains, and much more.
YOU WILL BE CHALLENGED BY THE OBSTACLES.
YOU WILL BE MUDDY.
Note by Ian at 5pm, on 7th July 2026.
August 29th, Saturday - Costume Trail Run Walk
Just like the title says, the costume trail run walk is the same 4.5km, or 7km or 10km trails, but you must be in a fancy dress costume. we encourage you to make some effort with the costume. Just putting on a tinsel wig is a little bit lazy.
MORE INFO TO COME
June 28th Sunday - Fun Trail Run Walk
SOLD OUT
There are 3 length options.
10Km Run – Teenage and adult only.
7km Run or Walk – Suitable for 8 years and up.
4.5Km Run or Walk – Suitable for all ages, 5 years and up
This is on a trail of mixed terrain and surfaces including areas which are slippery, muddy, rocky, tree roots, grass, gravel, (stream crossing on 10km course).
IT IS NOT A PAVED COURSE.
You will need footwear with traction.
Watch the 3 videos below showing an animation of the courses.
Tickets - limited to 300 athletes.
Same price no matter which length you do.
Adults 20 years up: $20
Teenage 13 -19 years: $15
Children age 5 -12 years: $10
Spectators age over 5 years: $5
Itinerary
9:00am - 9:30am Arrive and park from 9am. There will be parking attendants to direct you where to park.
9:30am - 10:15am Registration and sign in. All participants to sign waiver and make way to starting point, assembling with runners nearest the start line, then fast walkers followed by slow walks (this is to reduce the need for passing on the tracks).
10:15am Event Briefing at the start point.
10:30am Start running or walking. Runners going first followed by fast walkers and then slower walkers.
12:00 noon - 12:30pm Faster runners back first with walkers taking longer. Have some lunch from the food stalls or at the office for ice-creams.
12:45pm Spot prizes.
1:30pm winding up, but you can stay longer if you wish, maybe have a cave tour (limited spots, book these online on our glowworm page).
Toilets - Near the start point, 3 flush toilets, 2 port-a-loos, long urinal. At office 2 flush toilets. At camp area C, 1 flush toilet, at Camp area D, 1 flush toilet.
Parking - There is limited parking spread around 5 different parking areas. There will be attendants.
First aid - People will be onsite to provide first aid for minor injuries. Saint Johns Ambulances are not onsite.
Risks of injury when trail running is real and inherent. You must take care and avoid hurting yourself as much as possible.
Strava app.
I am still working on getting this onto strava as a public viewable challenge.
It will be listed as Waipu Caves Farm Park - Challenge, once I get it there.
We are also looking for some spot prize sponsors. If you interested in sponsoring spot prizes, let us know.
Edited by Ian Fox 12:15pm Wednesday 10th June 2026.
This is a
Past Event
Vertical gain over 10km - 420m
Vertical gain over 7km - 280m
Vertical gain over 4.5km - 170m
